brettworks

The number is arbitrary, but consider keeping the number of sounds in a track to ten or less. Under ten sounds is a bulwark against music production’s abundances–a constraining line drawn around the music that says, Just these sounds are enough to do what we want to do. Under ten sounds is a point of focus for identifying timbre types (Those four sounds are the beat, that sound’s the bass, this sound plays the chords) and figuring out what’s missing (Now what else?) Under ten sounds is a less-is-more, 80/20ish principle, where fewer sounds means more space for them to be heard; hear how there’s more air in stereo’s room now, fewer frequency fights, counterpoint clashes, and rhythm collisions. As we listen to what the music needs, under ten sounds beckons us to figure out how to make the minimum the most.